Girl lassoes dream

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

On Top of the World

The Christmas list of Sheridan Lintz may be short this year, because she already received the best present ever.

The 8-year-old, who has loved horses since she was a tiny tot, recently won a horse of her own in a national essay contest. The pretty filly, a sorrel quarter horse, is aptly named Dream.

"I always wished for a horse at Christmas, Easter and birthdays," Sheridan said. "I got my Christmas wish early, after a lot of hard work."

Sheridan, the daughter of Eric and Jenni Lintz of north Fort Collins, is a home-schooled third-grader. She won second place in the contest, sponsored by a private organization called Kids 4 Horses.

The theme of this year's essay contest was "How Horses Help Children and Adults with Disabilities." Sheridan had seen a TV broadcast about horses helping injured soldiers, so she went online and found that information for her essay. She also used the public library for research and conducted her first-ever interview. She cited her references at the end of her work. In the end, Sheridan's five-page essay (reprinted on page 16) was the longest paper she had ever written.

Now, Sheridan could write another essay on a favorite saying of her dad's: "If you work really hard, it always pays off."

Quite a bit of hard work was required after the prize was awarded, too. The Lintz family got the news on a Wednesday evening in late September and had to pick up Sheridan's new horse in Oklahoma three days later. "It was really crazy," said Jenni Lintz, especially since the family owns neither truck nor trailer. They borrowed both from family members in Oklahoma, and then found a spot at Rancho Vista near Wellington to board the new member of the family.

The Lintz family is getting some unexpected assistance from the Butch Cassidy Club of the Sundance Steakhouse and Saloon. The group will sponsor a Nov. 4 bus trip to Blackhawk, and proceeds from the trip and a silent auction held en route will go to the Lintz family to help pay for Dream's board. People interested in the trip may call Liz Thorne at 689-4586.

Dream is a spunky 16-month-old, described by Sheridan as "a sweet little girl who usually behaves herself." Sheridan is currently working with her horse in the round pen at Rancho Vista. "She is learning to pay attention," Sheridan reports.

Sheridan won't be able to ride Dream until the horse is 3 or 4 years old, but she is already planning a rosy future for the filly. "I think she'll be a good jumper and barrel racer," Sheridan said, and she's looking forward to competing in Little Britches rodeos.

Ann Streett-Joslin, owner of Rancho Vista, will teach Sheridan how to break and train her horse when the time comes. In the meantime, the youngster plans to join a 4-H club and compete in a halter class with her new pal.

Sheridan gained early experience with horses when her mother volunteered at Rancho Vista's former equine therapy program. She and her siblings, Timothy and Addison, went along with their mother to the therapy sessions and helped get the horses ready to ride. They also learned how to clean stalls, one of those less glamorous necessities of horse care.

Sheridan loves horses because "they're sweet and gentle animals." When she grows up, she wants to be a professional barrel racer or a rancher. And why not? She has learned that it's good to dream--as long as one is ready to do the hard work along the way.

Kids 4 Horses aims to promote the positive development of children by encouraging good writing skills, showing that hard work in academics has real-world benefits and by connecting more children to horses. Anyone interested in the Kids 4 Horses essay contest may check it out at www.kids4horses.com.